Human skin is an organ that protects our body from the environment around us. Human skin consists of 3 layers, the epidermis, dermis, and deeper subcutaneous tissue. The epidermis is the outermost layer of skin that provides a barrier to our environment as well as creates our skin tone. Cleaning away particulates on the epidermis allows for the skin to appear and feel healthier as well as youthful-looking. If the skin is clean, then the pores remain unclogged, allowing it to function properly.
Without proper removal of skin overgrowth on the feet, such skin can cause significant pain resulting from cracks that form in the dry skin overgrowth and opens the skin to possible infection. The surface of the skin is constantly battling bacteria so any opening could quickly become infected. To remove skin overgrowths a typical user would use a traditional abrasive surface attached directly to a handle, which becomes either costly to throw away, or time consuming and difficult to sterilize.
Over the past few years, distressed nail salon customers have filed lawsuits against nail salon owners for improper or inadequate sanitizing practices. Some customers have been left with infections as a result of unclean conditions, some as serious as Hepatitis, which, in some circumstances, have turned deadly. Reports of similar incidents resulting from unsanitary nail salons have occurred throughout the United States. Salon customers may inadvertently be exposed to infections resulting from improper sterilization of nail equipment. Foot baths used in nail salons contain a variety of bacteria that can cause a client to develop infections and nail fungus can spread in a salon if foot baths and instruments aren't cleaned properly.
Dermabrasion clears away dead skin, dander, and flakes to allow skin to function properly. Dermabrasion does not use water, as in traditional salon style manicures and pedicures, and is able to drastically lower the concentration of bacteria when performing these spa services. As discussed above however, any method for removing the dead skin with an abrasive tool requires that the tool be properly sterilized. In order to reduce costs or inconvenience associated with re-sterilizing reusable tools, or the expense of disposing a tool after limited use, efforts have been made to develop less expensive, disposable, abrasive tools for the removal of dead skin.
US Pat. Appl. Pub. 2010/0037906 discloses a pedicure file comprising an ovate housing having a hollow interior formed by two identically configured cap members, wherein the outer surfaces of the housing are designed to support removable and disposable abrasive pads thereon. The pads are employed to scrape away calluses from the skin.
US Pat. Appl. Pub. 2007/0250079 discloses a lightweight hand-held tool for performing cosmetic dermabrasion comprising a handle of aluminum tubing, a flattened head of aluminum and at least one removable pad attached to the flattened head, wherein the flattened head is covered by hook and loop fasteners for attachment to the removable pad that also contains hook and loop fasteners.
US Pat. Appl. Pub. 2010/0145359 discloses a callus rasp comprising a rasp body having a handle portion, a blade portion and an abrasive surface with a particulate grit exposed therefrom, and an adhesive to secure the abrasive surface to the blade portion of the rasp body. The abrasive surface is pre-adhered with the adhesive and a peelable backing layer over the adhesive together form a foil. The foil and rasp body are sterilized before joinder. After use, the abrasive surface is removed so that the rasp body can be reused with a new abrasive surface after sterilization.
Despite these efforts, a less expensive, readily sterilized, tool for skin removal is still needed.